Daily Devotions
Can I Get An Amen?
Galatians 1:3–5
Church is not a building. The early church lived this reality. Once someone was saved, they were baptized and immediately identified with a group of believers who lived and worked in the same locality. This was the case with the church in Galatia.
However, a false gospel started to creep into this church and was spreading to other churches all around. This is a trouble the Paul addresses because it’s his Christian responsibility to do so. The gospel message is at stake.
“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen,” (Galatians 1:3–5 NASB).
“Grace and peace,” is a normal greeting of that time. In face of the situation at hand, Paul’s demeanor towards the church is in the spirit of wishing them good. This is not just a reprimand. He’s not trying to knock them down. He desires their well-being.
But, Paul knows that he cannot provide the comfort needed. Only God can do that. Anything good in this world is supplied by God through Christ.
Then his mind is mind is filled with thoughts of the cross. This is the center of Paul’s gospel message. The gospel is the whole purpose for this letter. A gospel that is necessary for anyone to be saved to eternity.
He describes the cross as a voluntary self-sacrifice for sin. Delivering us from the present, evil world. A glory so great our present life is enjoyable now because of the life to come. This is the will of the Father.
Paul yearns for the glory of God. He longs to see the spread of the true gospel above all else. To Him belongs all glory.
At the end of verse five, Paul says “amen.” I think he is hoping that the church reading the letter will respond back, in kind, with “amen.” He hopes that the church understands that salvation is completely the work of God. To Him…not self.
